France have discarded the erratic fly-half Frédéric Michalak and called up the uncapped Jules Plisson in a 30-man preliminary squad for the Six Nations.

Three other uncapped players – the backs Geoffrey Palis and Hugo Bonneval and the flanker Antoine Burban were also selected by the France coach, Philippe Saint-André, for a week-long training camp. The absence of Michalak was expected; he is having a hard season with Toulon and has started only two out of their 16 Top 14 league games. Saint-André said: "Michalak has been with us for two years but he needs to play more." The squad will be cut to 23 players before the opening game against England at Stade de France on 1 February.

With Michalak's possible replacement Camille Lopez injured, Saint-André has turned to Plisson of Stade Français, who briefly featured in the squad last year.

Plisson has been regularly preferred to South Africa's Morne Steyn at Stade, leading the Paris team to second spot in the Top 14.

"He has improved, he's a young French player with great potential, who plays a lot and we have faith in him," Saint-André told a news conference.

He added that the Castres wing Palis had been selected for his try-scoring potential. "He is gaining ground at

France, who finished bottom of the Six Nations in 2013 with only one victory, are without several injured key players, including the scrum-half Morgan Parra, the centre Florian Fritz and the wing Vincent Clerc.Castres. He can be a very, very great scorer and we lack scorers in France."

Burban, one of six Stade Français players in the squad, was first called up by France in 2009, but injury prevented him from playing.